our hearts beat in sync
by abbyli
Summary: "Nineteen minutes. That was all it took. Nineteen minutes for the horror to come to an end." Damon and Stefan go through a school shooting with devastating circumstances.
1. just stay with me

_**just stay with me**_

* * *

**Okay, I have absolutely no idea why I am taking on another story. But this idea has been in my head for a while and I just had to get it out. Stefan and Damon brotherly moments, Steroline, Bamon, some Lexi, no Elena. **

* * *

It was just another ordinary day, like no other.

The alarm clock went off at seven sharp and Damon threw a pillow at it. It skidded across the nightstand and fell to the floor, unfortunately, not damaged at all. It had been a Christmas present from his baby brother in an attempt to get him up in the morning. No matter what Damon did to the clock, it always magically turned back up, unscathed.

"Come on, Damon! Get up! We have to be there early. Lexi's already on her way to pick us up and Caroline and Bonnie will meet us there."

He groaned, rolling over onto his front and burying his face in his remaining pillow.

"Five more minutes, Mom..." Damon moaned as he heard his brother charge into the bedroom. "Please?"

"Damon, if you don't get up right now, I am going to dump a load of ice cubes in your bed," snapped Stefan.

"I'd like to see you try," Damon chuckled. "Besides, I'm not wearing any pajamas."

Stefan let out a noise of disgust before stomping out of the bedroom. "Fine, it's your funeral!"

Damon rolled his eyes before swinging his legs off the bed. It usually went like this, Stefan threatening him, Damon cracking a joke, and then eventually getting up. Sometimes, it was hard to remember who was the big brother and who was the little brother.

Antonia and Guiseppe Salvatore had been killed the year before in a car accident, leaving Damon the sole custodian of his then seventeen year old brother and both of them in holds of many stocks and bonds that were worth millions. In truth, the Salvatore brothers were set for life but neither of them really wanted that kind of life. Stefan had been accepted into Harvard Medical School right out of high school but decided not to go and instead was currently attending Mystic Falls University for his pre-med credits. Most of his decision was to be near his best friend Lexi and his girlfriend Caroline while they attended there for their degrees in music.

Well, Damon couldn't really let his little brother have all the fun. He had graduated high school a few years before, barely scraping through with a C+ average and living up to his bad boy status. He did apply to Mystic Falls U and was accepted into the physical art program, much to his little bro's surprise. That was where he met a Miss Bonnie Bennett, the student teacher and a recent early grad.

Stefan was a semester ahead of him but they were in the same year, actually landing in a couple of the same classes. Damon was enjoying school and enjoying life, finally finding some happiness after all those years before.

* * *

"Are you ready yet?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Damon grunted, quickly pulling on his boots. He grabbed his bag and exited the bedroom, jogging down the wooden staircase to where his brother was waiting. "See? I told you I was coming." He waved his bag under Stefan's nose. "And no drugs. I promise."

"Cram it, brother," grumbled Stefan. "I'm already late for my anatomy class."

Damon rolled his eyes again as he locked the door behind him. Stefan jogged down the front steps to the driveway where Lexi was waiting in her SUV.

"Good morning, lovely Lexi," he immediately turned on the charm once he saw his brother's pretty friend.

"Why good morning, Damon," answered Lexi as she kicked the Jeep into gear once Damon slammed door shut. "So nice to see you this morning."

"You too."

"Stop it, you guys. You're going to make me cry," chuckled Stefan from the front seat.

Lexi Branson and Damon Salvatore had been surprisingly civil towards one another for the past four weeks. That was all because of one slightly drunken night when Damon had made a pass for his brother's protective friend and she had made quite the assault on his balls.

* * *

They arrived at the campus within twenty minutes. Lexi dropping the brothers off in front of the student building before going to park.

Right before Stefan hustled off for the science building, he handed Damon something.

"Oh, by the way. Happy birthday."

And then he was gone.

Damon stared, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was a birthday card that had a picture of a house on it. But it just wasn't any house, it was their house. It wasn't just any picture, it was the painting that Damon had done of the exterior when he was only twelve years old. Stefan had stolen the picture and kept it all these years, now having made it into a birthday card.

"Oh, jeez...you big softie..." he found himself murmuring, tenderly tucking the card into his bag.

* * *

"Wanna tell me why you're late?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"Damon?"

"Okay, I do have a reason."

Caroline chuckled dryly, throwing back her head. She quickly flipped her braid off of her shoulder and returned to her note taking. The anatomy class was the only class that the two had together, due to the difference in their degrees. But it was still an hour and a half together that they wouldn't have had before.

The class let out around a little after nine and the blonde couple was the last to leave the room. They walked slowly down the stone walkway to the resource building. Caroline was going to be going to her music compostion class while Stefan had a short break. As they walked, they noticed another boy hurriedly heading the other way, a large pack on his bag.

"Hey, that's Nick. What's wrong with him?" Stefan wondered aloud, seeing the nervous look on their acquaintance's face.

"I don't know." said Caroline. She spoke up first. "Nick? Are you okay?" Concern was evident in her features and for a split second, she thought she saw hope in the strawberry blond haired boy's eyes.

"Oh, Caroline. Stefan, hey. Um, I've just got a lot on my mind," said Nick as he carefully readjusted the backpack. "But thanks."

"I'll see you in our journalism modules, Nik," Stefan called after him as he hurried away. Nik just waved a hand before disappearing into another building.

"I hope he's okay. He's been having a rough time at home," Caroline mused as Stefan opened the side door for her.

"What do you mean?"

"His parents divorced a little while ago. And you heard about his sister Becky, right?"

"What do you mean?" Stefan repeated.

"She died. A drug overdose."

Something shot through his heart. Something that felt a lot like pain.

"Oh, God...that's horrible," he whispered. "I had no idea."

"His brothers Eli and Finnigan are trying to help but he is miserable. I was actually thinking of inviting him to hang out with us tonight."

"Oh, uh, tonight?"

"What's wrong?"

"Well, Care, today's Damon's birthday. I was kind of hoping to spend it with him. Even though he doesn't want my company," he chuckled.

"Today's Damon's birthday? My gosh, I had no idea," sighed Caroline. "Why didn't you tell me that your birthdays were only two weeks apart?"

"Never came up."

She rolled her lovely eyes. "Well, we're figure out something." She planted a quick kiss on his lips as they reached her classroom. "I love you."

He smiled, his heart doing a little happy dance. "I love you too."

* * *

"Hello, my muse."

Bonnie Bennett immediately relaxed as thick and strong arms snaked around her waist. She leaned her head back and allowed him more access to her throat, sighing with contentment.

"You're lucky no one's in here," she murmured.

"Who cares if there were?" he sighed happily, continuing on his journey to her earlobe.

"I would. Besides, I am the student teacher. This could get me in a whole lot of trouble!"

"Oh, it sounds kinky," Damon chuckled. "Teacher sleeping with the student. Oo-la-la."

"Oh, get off me!" She gently pushed him away just as the first students began milling into the art room. "Now be a good birthday boy and do your homework."

His eyebrows lifted. "How did you-?"

"Hey, I know these things."

He smiled widely through the rest of the class.

* * *

"Well, isn't it my dear and sappy brother who made me feel like a big girl this morning?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, Damon? Don't you have a class?" He walked over to the sinks, turning on the water and letting it heat up.

"Had to pee and was lucky enough to find you in here."

"Do you realize how gay that sounds?" asked his oak leave eyed brother, the smile still on his lips.

Damon rolled his eyes and turned on the water himself. letting it trickle over his hands. He glanced at his watch. 10:41 am. "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to thank you for that card. It was very nice."

"Even at eight years old, I thought it something special. That's why I hung onto it," said Stefan as he grabbed a few paper towels and patted down his hands.

"Well, thank you again. It was nice."

"You're welcome, brother."

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Damon broke the eye contact. "Enough of the chick-flick moments."

Stefan laughed, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Where you heading next?"

"My favorite class. Math!"

Stefan continued to laugh as they made for the door.

And that was when they heard it.

It sounded like firecrackers going off.

"What the hell is that?" Damon wondered aloud, walking over to the doorway. He opened it a peek and then that sound rattled through the room once again. He let out a yell of surprise and quickly slammed the door shut.

"What is it?" Stefan choked out, fear already clenching his throat.

"It's that creepy Nick kid! He's got a fucking gun!" Damon locked the door and shoved his own body against it.

"_Nick_?" Stefan gaped, his bag falling to the floor. "No, it can't be."

"Well, it is, Stefan. Seriously, you need to pick some better friends."

"Wait a minute! Caroline and Lexi!" Stefan made for the door but Damon easily caught him.

"No can do, little bro. Besides, they're over in the resource building. They're okay."

"Unless Nick went there first!"

"Stefan, stop it!"

"What about Bonnie? Don't you care about her?"

"Bonnie went home thirty minutes ago. She's safe. Caroline and Lexi are fine. They're smart girls. They'll figure out a way."

He wasn't just trying to keep his little brother calm. He was silently reassuring himself.

Nevertheless, Stefan quickly pulled out his cellphone. He tapped out Caroline's number and placed it to his ear.

"Damn it, it's going straight to voice mail!"

"Stefan, keep your voice down!"

The gunshots were getting closer.

"She could be already dead, Damon!"

"Don't you think you would feel it if she was gone, Stefan?" Damon hissed. "Now be quiet and get over there. He's getting closer."

The shots were so close that they placed their hands to their ears to muffle the noise. Damon grabbed Stefan's hand and pulled him over to the small nook by the stalls and pushed him into the corner. He could see the fear and tried to silently reassure him, gently pressing his hand to his shoulder.

More screams rippled through the air, making Damon's hair stand on end. Then the gunshots came to a still. It was so silent that a pin dropping to the floor could be heard.

"Maybe it's over," Stefan whispered, glancing out the window. He could see the police cars and SWAT team bus already pulling up.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Damon murmured.

Famous last words.

And then he couldn't see anything.

He couldn't feel anything.

All he saw in his line of vision was the barrel of the rifle in his face.

* * *

"Hey, guys," whispered Nick. "How's your morning been?"

Stefan tried to focus his blurred vision. Moments before he had thrown his hands up in front of his face to shield from any bits of flying door once Nick had blown it open.

"Oh, we were doing pretty good," snarked Damon. "Until a crazy dude interrupted it by shooting a bunch of people!" He barely moved at the sharp kick that Stefan threw into his calf.

"Thanks, Stefan. But I think I'm doing all right," murmured Nick. His dark blue eyes focused in on the elder Salvatore, his fingers cocking the rifle.

"Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked quietly.

"Oh, this has been coming for a long time, Stefan. But don't worry. I have no intention of hurting you. And your pretty little girlfriend's all right too. She's safe where I left her. I wouldn't know about that blond chick though. Lexi, was it?"

Stefan felt the sudden urge to vomit.

"Please don't, Nick. Please," he whispered. "You can stop this. It can all be over and you don't have to hurt anyone else."

"It doesn't matter, Stefan!" barked the slightly older boy. "No one cares!"

"I care, Nick! Caroline cares! Your brothers care! I am so sorry about your sister. What happened was so horrible but Becky was too far gone. There was nothing that none of you could have done for her!"

"What do you know about it?"

"Damon used drugs before our parents died. It got so bad that he almost OD'd himself. And it scared me. It really did. But he made it through. He still kicking and twice as pompous as before."

"And I am supposed to feel for you...why?" asked Nick, still holding the gun at Damon's throat.

"Because I know how it feels! I know how it feels to be hopeless and uncaring. To lose the that you love the most. Becky was your best friend, was she not?"

Nick wordlessly nodded.

"Damon's my best friend, no matter how much he tries to deny it. Caroline, she's your friend. I'm your friend. Please let us help you," Stefan whispered, stepping closer to the tall boy. "Put the gun down. You don't want to kill him."

"Stefan-"

"Shut up, Damon."

He gently placed a hand on the tip of the rifle, pushing it down. "We can help."

Tears were violently welling up in Nick's eyes. His fingers started to slip from the rifle's hold. "I'm sorry, Stefan."

The blast was deafening.

And so was Damon's scream of agony.

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**Okay, so this weird idea came and I had to get it out. It depends on your views and reaction to this if I will keep writing it or not.**

**Anyway, if you liked or hated, reviews are still appreciated. Leave me one and tell me what you thought.**


	2. when i am weak

_**when i am weak**_

* * *

Damon flinched, covering his face as he waited for the bullets to enter his chest. He felt strong hands pushing him back and his spine collided with the opposing wall.

And then heard the body fall, slipping to the floor with a loud thump.

He finally lowered his hands and saw it. Or actually...him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled, facing Nick. He made a mad (stupid) dash for the rifle and slipped. He looked down, realizing he had fallen in a pool of his brother's blood. "What is wrong with you?" he screamed again, trying to grab for the rifle one more time but was too late. There was one final blast and the younger boy fell to the already blood soaked floor.

Damon crawled across the tile, his hands sliding in the blood. The numbers on his digital watch blazed into his vision, imprinting themselves in his brain forever.

11:00

Nineteen minutes. It had taken nineteen minutes for the horror to come to an end.

But a new horror was just beginning.

Damon reached his brother, frantically feeling for a pulse. He felt one, it was there, but weak.

"Stefan...no, no, no. Stefan!" Tears blurred his eyes as he pulled his brother into his arms and yanked off his jacket at the same time, pressing it to the holes in his chest. "Stefan, listen to me. I'm going to take care of you, okay? Because that's my job, watch over my pain in the ass little brother. Stefan? Stefan!"

The pulse was getting weaker. It was stilling to a stop.

"Stefan!"

* * *

He was still screaming when the paramedics got there.

"Jesus Christ, here's more," came the voice of one medic.

Damon found himself clinging to Stefan's body even tighter when another fireman tried to detangle him away.

"No! No, you can't have him! No!"

"Easy kid, easy. We're going to help him," said the fireman.

"He's already dead. He's already dead!" His voice was like a child's, pleading with an adult. "Oh, god!"

Stefan was starting to slip out of his arms and placed on his back. The first medic was already pounding on his chest. There was a third medic that was scrambling for the field defibrillator.

"There's no pulse and blood pressure is 60 over 40. He's barely hanging on," said the first medic.

He's alive?

"Keep doing chest compressions. I've got to get a compress on this bleeding before I zap him."

"Feller, get over here and help."

"What about this other kid?"

"He's the shooter. There's nothing we can do for him. Bullet went straight through his brain."

The overlay of voices was starting to make Damon's head spin.

"1, 2, 3, 4. Bag him." There was a gust of air that Damon guessed was heading right into Stefan's lungs. "1, 2, 3, 4. Bag." Another deep puff.

"Okay, clear out." There was another rustle of movement. The larger medic scraped something together and then pushed it directly onto his brother's chest. Stefan's upper body jumped slightly. "Anything?"

"No, nothing. Blood pressure's dropping even more. We've gotta get his heart going or we're gonna lose him."

"Clear!" There was another zap and Stefan's body jumped again.

"Wait a second. There's something."

"I feel a femoral pulse."

"And there's one in the carotid artery."

"Pressure's coming back up. It's 70 over 40."

"Come on kid, you can do better than that."

"90 over 60."

"Bingo."

"He's back."

"Gurney's here."

"Let's get him in the bus."

Damon was watching this through blurry, half lidded eyes. His gaze started to slip away into darkness as he watched the medics carefully lift Stefan onto the gurney and quickly wheel him away, still pumping air into his lungs and desperately trying to keep him alive.

Stefan was alive.

He was alive.

"Hey, kid, you all right?"

Someone had stayed behind to take care of him.

"Kid, you're not hit, are you?"

The one medic that had approached him before was still there. He shined a light in his eyes to which Damon weakly tried to bat away.

"You're all right. You're just in shock."

"Is my brother okay?" he found himself forcing out.

"That kid was your brother?" The medic stood back in surprise. "Shit. Come on, let's get you to the ambulance."

* * *

The girl felt a throbbing pain just above her right eye.

She sighed and lifted her hand to rub her temple.

She saw that her hand was stained with crimson blood.

"What the hell-?"

And then it all came back to her.

Caroline sat bolt upright with a scream, looking wildly around her. She could hear a pounding and realized that the double doors to the rec room were chained shut. Somebody was trying to get in.

"Oh, my god!" A scream settled in her throat and she cried out when she saw the bodies around her. Some were rousing, some were already up and around, trying to get the doors open from the other side, aiding fallen classmates, etc.

She wildly turned her head and saw her.

Lexi.

And half of her head was missing.

Caroline's world went black once again.

* * *

"Hey, honey, are you okay? You all right?"

She felt her world starting to become brighter. Red splotches danced across her line of vision and she moaned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you hit? You've got a lot of blood on you," said the voice.

Caroline struggled to focus on whoever was talking to her. "Blood? What do you mean, blood?"

And then she saw the fluid coating her hands and shirt. She quickly swallowed a scream, everything slowly coming back to her.

"Where's-where's Lexi? Where is she?"

"Lexi? Is she your friend?"

"Yes. She was—"

And then she looked wildly to her left and saw a gurney being lifted up. The body was covered with a white sheet and hanging down was one arm with a very familiar white mood ring on the middle finger.

"No! Lexi, no! Oh, God, no!" She started to thrash against the paramedic, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. "No! No, no, no!"

The paramedic tried to grab her arms. "Get that sedative over here!"

"No sedative! No! God, no! Lexi, I'm so sorry! Lexi, I'm sorry! No!"

There was a prick on her arm.

And then nothing.

* * *

It was havoc.

That was the only word that Damon could come up with when the paramedic practically carried him out to the ambulance.

People were running around, nothing was in an orderly fashion, there was screaming, crying, and blood.

Oh, there was lots of blood.

"He's the brother!"

Quickly pulled out of his stupor, Damon was shoved into the ambulance that was carrying his brother. As soon as the doors were shut behind him, they took off like a bullet out of rifle.

"Stats are dropping."

"Pressure's dropping too."

"Damn it, I can't get this bleeding stopped."

"He's going into v-fib again!"

"Paddles, now!"

There was a tinny of a knob being turned. And then a surge of electricity followed by _clear! _

A steady beat came out of the machines and Damon breathed a sigh of relief.

"If he does that again, we're not going to be able to bring him back."

"Harper, shut the hell up."

Damon glanced sideways and could see that the medic that had spoken was looking between him and the other one.

"Sorry, kid. He'll be okay."

Damon ignored him. "Just keep him alive," he whispered, staring at his brother's face.

_Damn it, Stef. Why the hell…? _

_It should be me laying there. _

* * *

The dark skinned woman lifted the basket of laundry up and carefully eased it onto the kitchen table. She dumped it out and grabbed the remote, pointing it at the television.

"_Breaking news report. A college campus shooting as taken place at Colby University. The suspect is down and there have been at least a dozen deaths and even more people wounded—" _

Bonnie clicked the television off and grabbed her phone, totally forgetting about the laundry that still lay on the table.

Damon.

Nah, Damon was okay. He was smart. He would have heard the shots and gotten the hell out.

Or, he could have been incredibly stupid and tried to be the hero.

Either way…

"Hang on, Damon," Bonnie murmured to herself, furiously dialing his cell number as she ran out the door.

* * *

**Short update. I wanted to show the immediate aftermath and Damon, Caroline, Bonnie's reactions. Damon is in shock and he's taking everything in a blur while Caroline is freaking out. I couldn't leave Bonnie out since she is Damon's girlfriend so I had a short reaction from her at home finding out about it. **

**For any Daroline fans out there, there will be a lot of Damon/Caroline scenes coming up because Stefan's 'out of the picture' for the time being, as well as Caroline/Bonnie friendship. Damon's going to have a hard time dealing with what Stefan has done for him sense Nick wanted to kill him, not Stefan. So lots of angst for anyone who likes it. **

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews for chapter one. I would love some more! **

**Have a safe and blessed weekend everyone. **


	3. you were here beside me

_**you were here beside me**_

* * *

_The darkness..._

_The pain..._

_It was pulling him in. _

_He screamed, fighting it. He just couldn't hold on. It was pulling him under..._

"Damon!"

Damon Salvatore woke with a start, running a shaking hand through his sweaty tresses. He felt small, gentle hands on his back and calmed. But just slightly.

"Are you all right?" Bonnie whispered, rubbing small circles on his lower back.

Damon nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just got to get it together."

Bonnie sighed. "That's the third one this week."

"It's only normal, Bonnie," murmured Damon.

"I know but-"

"Darling, I'm fine," he interrupted quickly. He leaned back and kissed her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

She didn't want to argue, especially at three o'clock in the morning. She sighed again and let her head fall back into the pillows. Damon then started to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to peek in on the kids. I'll be right back."

He pulled himself out of the large bed and slowly slipped from the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him. He stepped down the hallway and silently unclicked the first door he came too.

Eight year old Morgan Salvatore was laying on his back, his mouth slightly open, black curls strewn out on the pillow in a dark halo. His breathing was deep and even. He was there.

Damon took a deep breath and padded down the hallway a few more feet. He twisted the knob on four year old Aiden Salvatore's room and stuck his head inside. The nightlight lit up the room, bouncing light off the floor and the small bed where the just out of toddlerhood child lay curled onto his side, sleeping peacefully.

Damon felt stupid for freaking out. Their boys were just fine. He really needed to get it together.

"Get it together?" murmured Bonnie when he repeated it back to her as he climbed back into bed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"What?"

"Just...just keep doing what you're doing," Bonnie whispered. "And I swear to God, Damon, if you know you're going downhill, you come to me."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Who says I'm going downhill?"

"Most people like you do that."

"Go back to sleep, Bonnie. I love you."

He planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Yech. You need to brush your teeth."

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

"Damon! Damon Angelo Salvatore, get up! You're going to be late for work!"

"Argh..." Damon rolled over onto his front, moaning into the pillow.

"Damon, I swear to the Heavens if you don't get up, I will send in the big guns!"

That got him. Damon sat straight up and threw the covers off of his legs. But of course, being him, he decided to test it. "You wouldn't dare, Mrs. Salvatore!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Bonnie cried. "Oh, Aiden! Morgan!"

"All right, all right! I'm up, I'm up!" Damon stood up into a shaky stance. It had been a late night the previous night, working late grading papers and then going through what he had went through. He was slightly surprised that he hadn't lost his mind yet, like Bonnie was so worried about. He was fine. Just fine.

He staggered down the hallway and made it to the top of the stairs before he tripped over a toy. He grunted in pain as he stubbed his toe but picked the small truck up.

"Aiden Cody Salvatore, if you don't start picking up your little matchbox cars, I will start flushing them down the toilet!" he called down the stairs.

A squeak of horror was his answer. The tiny fair haired boy bolted up the stairs and snatched the toy truck out of his hand, running down the hallway and slamming the door to his room. Usually, threats (never carried out) worked quite well but of course, the toys would start being left out once again less than a week later.

As he walked into the kitchen, there was a tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee. His nose perked up and he walked with his eyes closed to the stove where his beautiful wife was working. His arms laced around her waist and he planted a wet kiss on her neck.

"You have got to stop doing that," she murmured against his cheek as her fingers twined through his clasped ones.

"Nah. It's tradition," he whispered back, kissing her again.

"Ew! Mommy and Daddy are kissing again!"

The married couple broke apart and their eyes found their boys standing in the kitchen doorway. Aiden was already climbing into a kitchen table chair while Morgan watched him warily, ready to spring if he started to fall.

Watching that out of the corner of his eye, Damon felt something odd stir inside of him. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"You okay, Damon?" Bonnie whispered, placing a plate of fresh toast on the table.

"I'm fine, darling."

"'Kay."

Damon sat down and pulled a piece of toast off the top of the pile, cutting it into small squares for Aiden's tiny mouth. He gave a plastic spoon to the four year old and he began to splatter jelly onto the squares.

"Ew. Not so much, Little A," chuckled Damon, inwardly wincing at how sweet that was going to be.

"I like jam, Daddy!" Aiden smiled, already stuffing a piece into his mouth.

"It really is kind of gross, kid," smiled Morgan, allowing his mother to lightly butter his toast and put one egg onto his plate.

"You think so, Morgan?" asked Aiden.

"Just not so much jelly."

"'Kay!"

Damon stared at his elder son. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Morgan looked confused.

"Kid, you've got a way with your little bro that your mother and I do not."

Morgan giggled, a flush of red spreading his cheeks. "It's nothing, Dad. He's my little brother."

Damon ignored Bonnie's gaze as he turned back to Aiden, gently wiping the excess jelly off of his round, adorable chubby cheeks.

* * *

"All right, I'm dropping Aiden off at preschool and you are taking Morgan to his school, correct?"

"Yes. God, I can't wait until Aiden starts kindergarten. It's such a murder on gas taking one kid one way and one kid the other way," Damon groaned as he stuffed his gradebook into his shoulder bag and shifted a pot that he needed to fire later into the other arm.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and held the door open for him. She puckered up her lips and he planted a noisy kiss on them.

"I will see you later, Mr. Salvatore."

"You too, Mrs. Salvatore." He leaned down and scooped an arm around Morgan's middle and throwing him over his shoulder. Morgan squealed in delight, causing matching smiles to cross his parents' faces. "All right, child. Come on."

* * *

The drive to the elementary school took about twenty minutes and it was well on his way to the high school where he taught.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we have pizza for dinner tonight?"

Damon smirked, glancing in the review mirror to the backseat where Morgan was safely buckled in. "I think your mother's making something tonight. But how about tomorrow?"

"Can you talk Mom into it? She really likes healthy food."

"I can use my charms on your mom," Damon smiled.

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Or Mom can beat you up."

Damon laughed aloud. "You are a very observant kid, you know that?"

Morgan giggled. "Can we listen to music?"

"Sure. What do you want? Rock and roll? R&B?"

"Dad!"

"Right, right. Sorry," Damon hit the button on the radio. "I forgot that you still listen to Barney Wiggles."

"I do not! That's Aiden!"

"Oh, you're not Aiden? Who's child is this?"

Morgan only laughed harder. Damon continued to smile. He loved the sound of his son's laughter and voice. Just having that around him...it made it all okay.

Music was not playing on the radio at the moment. He turned it up for the news and heard it.

"_Mourners and family are already gathering for the memorial of the tenth anniversary of the tragic shootings at Colby University. With the fifteen deaths and the fourty one people wounded, there is a huge turnout expected and-" _

Damon quickly flipped the switch off, ignoring Morgan's quiet protests.

"Buddy, we're already here," he said, pulling the car up the long driveway of the school.

"Oh, okay."

He put the Jeep into park and got out, opening the door for the eight year old as he slid out.

"Do you need me to come in with you?" he asked as Morgan adjusted his bag around his shoulders.

"No, Dad! I'm not a baby!"

Damon held up his hands in surrender. "Yes sir, General Salvatore." He mock saluted. "I will see you at two, all right?"

"Okay."

"And don't get into trouble!" He called after Morgan as the kid ran away from him, joining his already forming class at the front door. Morgan just waved back before disappearing into the crowd of kids.

* * *

**Very short update. Confusing, I know, right? And of course, in my previous author's note, I had a whole different plan for this story and instead I threw that out the window. I'm sorry! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are much appreciated. Feel free to yell and scream at me. :D**


	4. never really there

_**never really there**_

* * *

**victoria- **I know how frustrating this is. I had a whole different idea when I originally began this story but then I decided to go another way. I strongly urge you to just hang in there because this chapter includes some flashbacks with brotherly moments between Stefan and Damon and also a re-introduction of a character.

**kinki- **prepare yourself! Someone's coming back!

**ALostHeart- **A flashback is in this chapter. :D

**tammy lynnea- **thank you!

**Jess- **As the chapters go along, it will make more sense, I promise you. I just ask you to hang in there. And thank you about the boys. There's some symbolism with Morgan and Aiden and I'm glad you picked it up!

* * *

He hated this route. Taking Morgan to school resulted in the one way street to get to the elementary school but to get to the high school where he taught, he had to take a long loop around the highway.

The college stood high and majestic in the early morning light, the sun's rays dancing off the dewy grass. Glancing to his right, he could see the ground's already filled with people, filling the front yard with chairs. The small memorial emblazoned with names stood at the end of the front walkway. It was hard to miss it when you had to walk to the doors. Two people were on ladders by the front doors, pinning up a long pale rose banner with some words he couldn't make out.

It had been ten years. Ten long years.

* * *

"These projects..." He walked along the line of desks and workspaces, holding up the grade sheets in his hands. "...were something. I had never seen anything like them before in my whole entire life." Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed one of his favorite students starting to cower in fear. "And I just have to say...they are the best damn things I have ever seen."

There were about thirty different shudders of breathy relief that hit his ears after that.

"I'm sorry, I just had to screw with you because it's just so easy," he chuckled.

"Mr. Salvatore, wanna tell us why we keep falling for that?" asked a redheaded student named Penny. She waggled her eyebrows at him and he chuckled.

"Penny, give it to me later," he grinned. The rest of the students '_ooohed_' and Penny received many playful pats on the shoulder. "When I call your name, please come up and get your rubrics. At the end of class, you can pick up your pieces, kay? Lily Alcott?"

One by one, each student received their grade sheets. He heard low whistles, sighs of relief, happiness, and squeals of pleasure. They had been assigned to do small ceramic pots that symbolized something sacred in their lives and then to write him a short little paragraph on why it was sacred. That was one of the reasons why he liked teaching this class so much because with these little projects, the kids got into them. They showed passion.

Passion he hadn't felt in quite some time.

* * *

An assembly cut his last class short so he dallied on over to the elementary school to pick Morgan up. He still had a good thirty minutes left before Morgan got out of school.

The grass was still wet from last night's rain. It soaked the bottom of his jeans right up to the ankle, making pretty little wet spots. He sighed in exasperation and continued to stroll across the grounds, sure he looked just like a big creeper.

Walking through these grounds, waiting for his own child to get out of school, he couldn't help but think about how long it had been.

* * *

"_Come on, Stef! Hurry up!" _

"_I'm coming, Damy!" _

_The eight year old chuckled as he came to a stop. "Please, you need to stop calling me 'Damy'. You're almost five now."_

"_But I like calling you 'Damy'. It's your name!" Stefan's green eyes were already starting to fill up with tears. As soon as he turned on those eyes, Damon knew he was toast. _

"_All right, all right. Keep calling me 'Damy'," sighed the raven haired boy. "Just-" _

"_Just what?" asked the light haired boy. _

"_Just don't call me that in front of anyone else, okay? I don't want to seem like a baby." _

_Even at four years old, Stefan was already very intelligent. He smiled kindly into his brother's face before shoving him down onto the wet grass. _

"_You're it!" he cried before taking off like a shot. _

"_You little-!" Damon was up and hot on his little brother's heels already, grabbing him around the middle and twirling him around. As he turned, his face lit up at the sight of their mother striding across the lawn towards them. "Hey, Mom!" _

_Antonia Salvatore let out a laugh of delight as she watched her sons. "Hey, boys! Damon, please don't drop your brother!"_

"_Why? He likes it!" Damon gently let Stefan slide into the grass, soaking his new jeans and shoes. _

"_Damy! You big meanie!" Stefan leapt to his feet and faced him, laughter dancing in his emerald eyes. _

"_Oh, good grief," Damon sighed, slapping his hand to his forehead. "Mom, can you please ask Stefan to stop calling me 'Damy'?" _

_Antonia shook her head. "That's your nickname...Damy." _

"_Mom! Not you too!" _

_Antonia started to laugh again and planted a noisy wet kiss on top of her son's glossy hair. "Sorry, kid. I guess your little brother got to me."_

"_Haha! So you're Damy forever!" Stefan giggled happily, jumping up and down in the grass. _

"_Come on, boys. Let's go home," Antonia leaned over and grabbed Stefan around the middle, lifting him up and throwing him over her shoulder. Stefan let out another amazing laugh that sounded so much like church bells ringing in the distance, holding on tightly to his mother's shoulder while Antonia leaned back an arm that Damon happily took. _

* * *

Thirty two year old Damon let out a small sigh. It had been such a long time since that happy afternoon.

He sank down onto the same bench that he and his brother had ran by so many times in their fearless escapades while waiting for their mother to pick them up from school. He heard the final bell ring inside and knew that this day was finally drawing to a close.

"Damon?"

Damon's head shot up and he found himself looking into a very familiar pair of light blue eyes.

"Hey, Caroline."

The blonde lowered herself down onto the bench beside him, running a hand through her unruly hair. She didn't look at him, continuing to stare out into the sea of dark oak leave like grass.

"Your hair's getting longer."

_Seriously? Her hair? That's all you can come up with?_

Caroline chuckled and twisted it back over one shoulder. "Yeah, Tyler always said I should grow it out."

"It looks nice like that," he whispered. They both grew silent once again. "How's Emily?"

"She's good. She's happy," she whispered. "She loves kindergarten."

"That's good," he whispered, nodding silently.

"How are Morgan and Aiden?"

"They're really good too. Aiden's anxious to get into kindergarten so he can come with his brother to school every day."

"Is that Aiden talking or you talking?" asked Caroline, a slight smile on her lips.

"Maybe just a little of me," he held up his index finger and his thumb a hair apart.

Caroline gave a weak laugh. "How's Bonnie?"

"She's good too. She thinks she's going to make tenure soon at Logan."

"Tell her I said hello."

"You should tell her that yourself, Care."

Caroline let out a groan. "Come on, Damon. Are we really going to dance around this?"

Damon sighed too. "I just can't, Caroline. Not now."

"You should really go to the memorial tomorrow," she whispered. "It could do you a lot of good."

"Yeah, do me a lot of good to remember everything that happened that horrible day?" he snapped. "I never want to set foot in that college again, Caroline."

"I don't blame you."

"_Mommy_!"

Caroline's head shot up and she managed to get off the bench in time to catch the giggling five year old.

"Hey, baby!" Caroline laughed, scooping the young picture of herself up and whirling her around.

"_Dad!" _

Damon looked up in time to catch the barrel full of Morgan before he slammed headlong into him. "Hey there, buddy. How was school?"

"It was good, Dad. I got a hundred on my spelling test!" He happily held up the paper, waving it under his father's nose. Damon pried it from his fingers and looked over the words.

"Good job, buddy. I'm proud of you," He planted a noisy kiss on his forehead. "Hey, Morgan, you remember Caroline, right?" He gestured to the blonde.

"Yes, I do. Hi, Mrs. Lockwood."

"Hi, Morgan," Caroline smiled. She glanced back over at Damon and shook her head. It amazed her how much Morgan was starting to look like his father, right down to the dark hair and the icy blue eyes. "Congratulations on your spelling test."

"Thanks!" Morgan beamed at her.

That was it. That was the difference between father and son.

Innocence was clearly in the beautiful child standing before her.

But not his father.

"All right, little man. Say goodbye. We need to go home," Damon got up off the bench, easily throwing Morgan over his shoulder.

"Bye, Mrs. Lockwood! Bye Emily!" Morgan waved at the mother and daughter, still holding onto his test paper.

"Bye Morgan!" Caroline called back. Emily simply waved.

Damon pretended to tip an invisible hat in their direction before carrying Morgan away.

* * *

"I got tenure!"

Damon almost fell over, dropping the spoon he was using to stir batter in the process, as he caught his wife's body.

"I got tenure! I got tenure!" Bonnie continued to squeal, jumping up and down in happiness.

Damon laughed, hugging her tightly. "That's wonderful! I thought you weren't supposed to find out until next week?" he asked.

"Apparently, Mr. Saltzman was lying. I don't know. But it's official. I am going to be the official head of the art department at Logan College until I die!" Bonnie whirled around. "And you know what? We are all going out for pizza!"

"Yay!" Morgan, who had been standing in the doorway, screeched happily as he ran out of the room. "Aiden! Come on, we're going out for pizza! Mommy's a millionare now!"

Damon chuckled. "We're going to have to explain what tenure is to him."

Bonnie smiled. "How are you? Are you okay?"

Damon shook his head. "I'm fine," he easily lied, carefully placing the cover on the bowl of cookie batter and setting into the fridge.

"Damon..." Bonnie's voice was low. "What's going on?"

"I ran into Caroline while I was waiting for Morgan," he said quickly. "She was there picking up her daughter."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Oh, my God."

"She's doing all right. Her kid...Emily? She's doing good too," Damon glanced away from his wife's peering gaze, turning away.

"Damon...?" Bonnie stepped closer, going up on her tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Damon, look at me."

Damon sighed. "It's this day, Bonnie. Today and tomorrow and the rest of the week. I wish I could crawl into a hole and pull the hole in after me."

Bonnie nodded. "I know, I know. But you know what?"

"What's that?"

"It's okay to let it out. Just let out one big scream and cry for hours. It makes it better."

"How do you know that, Bon?" Damon whispered, trying desperately to push back the burning heat behind his eyes. "How?"

Bonnie sighed. "Maybe I don't. But just remember, you have a family that loves you. They understand that you need this."

Damon let his own sigh come out before pulling her close. "Thank you, love."

"I love you. You know that, right?" Bonnie murmured into his chest.

"Of course you do. I'm a lovable guy. It's hard not to love me," He wiggled an eyebrow at her and she laughed.

"Come on, let's get our sons and go get pizza."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't call me that."

"Yes, dear."

"Oh, god..."

* * *

**I wanted to get another update up quickly because it's going to be awhile before I can get an update up after today. **

**And yeah, I know. Caroline's married to Tyler now. What are you gonna do? :(**

**I am so sorry that this is so confusing. I assure you that this will make more sense in the coming chapters. Please hang in there. :D**


	5. caroline

_**caroline**_

* * *

**victoria- **since you are not logged in, I cannot shoot you a message so I will tell you here my enormous thanks for your wonderful review on "we say goodbye in the pouring rain". That really means a lot to me and that was really nice to hear that you are a huge Supernatural fan. I have a few other Supernatural stories up if you are interested in checking them out. Also, if you are a fan of the Hunger Games, I have a crossover SPN/THG fic up where all the characters of SPN take the places of the people in the THG, hence Dean is Katniss, Jo is Peeta, Sam is Prim, Lisa is Gale, Bobby is Haymitch, etc. If you are a Dean and Jo fan then you will probably enjoy it.

**jess- **I know this story is hard because you just don't know what happened to Stefan and you are expecting the worst. I am bringing this story to a close soon, actually, there's only so long I can draw it out before revealing exactly what happened. There's going to be at least seven chapters, maybe eight.

**Rye- **Damon teaches 12th grade. Thank you!

**DvR- **I am getting close to the end so just hang in there. I know I have asked this from everyone but I am begging you to just hang in there. After the next chapter (not this one) everything will be explained.

* * *

It was Thursday.

A day that he'd like to forget.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!"

Damon accepted the loving hug from his toddler, pulling him tightly against his chest.

"Thanks, buddy," he whispered, gently stroking the wispy hair off of his forehead. "What are you doing up so early?"

Aiden shrugged his tiny shoulders. "I don't know. I just woke up." He then slipped out of his father's arms and padded across the floor to the refrigerator. He pulled on the handle and yanked the door open to retrieve the orange juice. Of course, his tiny arms couldn't lift the juice off the shelf and as they strained, another pair of arms reached around him and scooped up the bottle of juice.

As Damon poured juice for the both of them, he caught Aiden watching him intently. "What is it, little man?"

"How old are you, Daddy?" he asked. His dark eyes, the exact color of oak leaves, were filled with something that Damon couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I am officially thirty two years old," Damon answered, feeling nauseated at the exact number that came out of his mouth. "God, I'm old."

Aiden laughed a beautiful laugh. "Yes, you are!"

Damon couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips at his son's cuteness. He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on top of his fair hair. He could hear Bonnie and Morgan moving at the top of the stairs and the day was officially beginning.

"Thank you, buddy," he whispered.

"For what?" asked Aiden.

"For this," Damon murmured. "You have given me a wonderful start to my birthday."

Aiden beamed at him. "You're welcome, Daddy." And with that, he picked up his plastic cup of orange juice and dashed out of the kitchen, passing his mother in the process. "Morning, Mommy!"

"Morning, baby," Bonnie called after him. She looked back at Damon. "Thank you for giving him his sippy cup," she chuckled, imagining the mess that was sure to come from that spilt juice.

Damon smirked. "I can still treat him like he's a baby sometimes."

Bonnie crossed the linoleum floor and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Happy birthday," she whispered against his lips.

His own arms snaked around her. "Thank you."

* * *

His thumb pressed into the remote as the new slide clicked onto the screen. "And so, we have here the very first Picasso-" At that moment, a student named Jack Cummings raised his hand.

"Mr. Salvatore?"

"Yeah, Jack? You have a question about the Picasso?"

Jack shook his head. "Forgive me, sir. This is going to seem forward but a couple of us were wondering why you were here today."

"Excuse me?" Damon's eyes skittered around his students.

"Today's the memorial," Penny spoke. "We thought that you would have been there."

Damon sighed. "Guys, the memorial isn't until this afternoon and besides, I don't need to go. Everything's fine."

"Is your wife going?" asked another student.

"She wasn't there when it happened," he interrupted. "Now, can we get back to Picasso?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore," said Penny. "I know you think we are a bunch of jerks for saying this but we really think you should go. It is the tenth anniversary."

"You might actually feel better. Come to peace with what happened," said Laura.

Damon crossed his arms before leaning back against his desk. "Am I really that obvious?"

"You always seem so sad," says Penny. "Believe me, all of us, you are our favorite teacher because you try to make this class so much fun. But there's something about you that just-it's not right."

The mid day bell went off at that moment. Damon continued to watch all of his students' faces before lifting himself off of the desk. "Get to your next class. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Without more words, his students rose off of their chairs and slowly assembled out of the room, many giving him backwards glances. Damon watched them go, feeling more old and weary than ever before.

* * *

_He carefully inserted the straw into his nose and inhaled deeply, taking in as much of the powdery substance as he dared before he almost collapsed. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the telephone ringing. _

_The high hit him immediately and he felt himself rising up. He felt like he could fly, it was so amazing. He could easily just take flight and soar out of this bathroom and away from all of the shitty crap of his life. _

_Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door that made him fall back against the toilet. Agony overtook his high and he clutched his head, pain pulsing through each blood vessel so violently that he vomited. _

"_Damon! Damon, snap out of it!" Stefan's voice barreled through the door. "Damon!" _

"_Stefan, go the hell away!" He hurled back. _

"_No, I mean it, man. That was the police. Mom and Dad have been in an accident." _

* * *

He let out a weary sigh before leaning down over the toilet bowl. Soon, the contents of his stomach were in the basin and more was still coming up.

* * *

"_I'm so sorry, boys. But they didn't make it." _

* * *

Hot tears burned his eyes and he let them fall, stinging and so swollen. They slid down his eyelashes and clung there before falling to their splattered death onto the countertop.

* * *

_The pills were so pretty. _

_He had never imagined that he would find medication pretty but they were. _

_He could only think about the high that they would give him. _

"_Damon Salvatore. Take one every six hours for pain," he murmured to himself, reading the label on the first pill bottle. He had broken his ankle seven months ago and had been laid up for quite some time. He remembered busying himself with drawing in a sketch pad that his mother had given him and liking very much how the pain pills had made him feel. _

_Pain. _

_It was an interesting thing to experience. _

_The utmost of agony that would overwhelm him and then the euphoria of the pills making it dull away into an empty ache. _

_He wondered if they would help him now. _

* * *

He vomited again, this time in the sink. It was going to be quite the mess for the janitor to clean up later.

More tears continued to fall from his eyes, landing with soft _plinks _on the porcelain.

"I'm so sorry, Stefan. Oh, God, I'm so sorry!"

* * *

"_Damon?! Oh, no, no, no! Damon, you're not going to leave me here alone! No! Damon, god no!" _

_He could barely feel Stefan's hands on his face, shoulders, and arms, trying to slap the life back into him. _

"_Damon! Damon, no! Damon!" _

* * *

His phone rang and he ignored it.

Damn it, this was too much.

But it continued to ring and ring and ring.

Just before he was going to throw it across the linoleum floor, he noticed the number flashing across the screen.

"Hello?" he croaked. "Caroline?"

* * *

"What happened? Where is she?"

Tyler's beefy hands caught him in the chest. "Damon, please listen to me. And please stay calm. My daughter's sleeping over there." His head gestured to the array of very uncomfortable hospital chairs and where the tiny blond haired five year old was curled up.

_She wasn't supposed to be your daughter. _

At the mention of Emily, Damon took a deep breath and calmed just slightly. "Tell me what happened to Caroline."

Tyler took a deep and shaky breath. "She tried to commit suicide. I caught her taking a bunch of pills. She kept saying over and over that she wants it to end. She wants this week just to be over with."

Suicide.

_Suicide. _

Oh, god.

* * *

"Da-mon..."

"Hey, Carebear."

She had always hated that nickname.

Tears immediately filled her blue eyes and trickled down the sides of her face. He slipped down into the seat beside her bed and gently wiped the tears away.

"It's this day, Damon," she choked out. "It's this day. This week. I just-"

"I thought the same thing, Care, but I didn't try to off myself."

She rolled her red rimmed eyes before finally looking at him. "They're keeping me here for a few days on suicide watch. And then I have to go into immediate therapy. Tyler's so freaked out."

"Well, he should be. He's your husband."

"Yeah, he is." Her voice trailed off. "I need you to go that memorial for me. Please, go to it."

"Caroline..."

"Damon, I was going to go and I was going to take Emily. I wanted her to understand now what I had went through. I also wanted her to meet the woman that she was named after and-"

"Caroline, I just can't." A lump formed in Damon's throat. "I can't go."

"Damon, I don't think you ever said goodbye. Goodbye to anybody," she whispered. Exhaustion was weighing on her head and she and Damon could both tell the sedative that they had given her was finally kicking in.

"I did-"

"Liar."

She was right. He was a big fat liar.

"I miss them. I miss everyone who died that day," he breathed.

"And those who didn't," Caroline murmured. Her eyelids were starting to droop. "Please go to the memorial, Damon. Please."

She was out.

Damon sat back in the chair, his eyes on the heart monitor, emitting it's steady beeping rhythm. He then leaned over, gently brushing lips across her forehead, stroking the blond wisps away. From his pocket, he produced a small card with a painted picture of a house on it. The card was already starting to yellow with age but it was still a beautiful little piece.

He placed the card on her nightstand, securing the corner with the edge of the lamp so it wouldn't accidentally topple to the floor. With another shaky breath, he slowly left the room.

* * *

The first sight to greet him when he walked into the empty house was a bouquet of dark purple gladioli, arranged just right in a tall crystal vase. They were set on the coffee table, along with a card in an envelope.

Damon couldn't help the weak smile that crossed his lips at the sight of the flowers. He leaned down and scooped the card off the table, running a finger over the slit and sliding the card out.

It was two cards, actually. The first one had a picture of a dancing bear on the front and emblazoned in large red letters the words, _HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! _Inside had a goofy little joke and Morgan and Aiden's signatures. Well, Morgan had neatly printed his name while Aiden had scrawled something that looked like just a large A.

Bonnie's card was Thomas Kincaide original, a beautiful painting of a house laying in the corner of the woods with a rush of orange and golden leaves swirling around. He flipped it open and he found two words.

_Look down. _

He did.

At his feet was a yellow sign with Morgan's handwriting on it.

_Keep going strait. _

* * *

"_Tell me, what's with you and gladioli? Has it something to do with Caroline?" _

_He chuckled at the dark red flush that spread across his brother's cheeks. _

"_Oh, shut up, Damon." _

"_Come on, I know purple is Stefan's-I mean _Caroline's _favorite color. Are you going to present her with a huge bouquet of them? Or are you going to get kinky and-" _

"_Another word out of your mouth and I swear to God, you will lose your front teeth!" Stefan threw a pillow at his head to which he easily caught. _

_Damon just laughed evilly before setting the couch pillow back in it's place. "Sorry, Stef. Just sometimes, you are so easy." _

"_Just sometimes, you are a big jerk," Stefan shot back. _

"_Ouch." _

_Stefan rolled his eyes before giving in. "Caroline likes purple and today's her birthday. And I like gladili so I just...why are you laughing?!" _

_Damon managed to swallow his chuckles. "Just sometimes, little bro," he began again. "You are such a romantic." _

* * *

Damon began to walk ahead. His feet ran into another piece of paper.

_Just a little more. _

He wound up in the kitchen and he saw one final piece of paper.

_STOP_

_LOOK UP_

He looked up.

Laying on the table was a bouquet of long stemmed deep gold roses with another piece of paper. He slowly approached the table and picked up the paper, his eyes still on the roses.

_We found out about Caroline this morning. _

That was all it said.

Damon's eyes rested on the gold roses again before he reached over and picked them up in both hands. He took a deep breath and checked his watch. It was almost four o'clock. He still had enough time to get the second half of the memorial.

Damon eased the roses into one hand as he headed for the door.

* * *

The sunlight danced off the lawn, warming the gatherers in such a sweet and gentle light. People were standing around, talking, laughing, or reminiscing. As Damon walked carefully across the lawn, he glimpsed a few familiar faces and a few unfamiliar. Family members of ones that had been there at the shooting, people that were there honoring the victims.

There were pictures all around of the victims. Some were full length portraits, some were paintings, some posters. He recognized one of a beautiful young woman with long blond hair and a beaming smile. Emily Alexia Lockwood's namesake.

Damon held the roses in one hand and continued to walk past the mourners. A young man that was signing in people spotted him.

"Excuse me, sir? Are you one of the survivors?" he asked, clipboard resting on the inside of an elbow.

Damon just cast him a gentle smile and kept walking, walking past every single person there, past the young man, and past the memorial. He walked up to the front door of the school and his hand rested on the heavy doorknob before he gave it a gentle push and stepped through.

* * *

**Okay, slight cliffhanger. You will find out what happened to Stefan next chapter. **

**I never wanted to draw this story out too long. The idea just cast itself into my pointed little head and I wasn't able to get rid of it. I just to get it out. That's why I threw out my original idea and I'm hoping that all of you will understand after I draw this story to a close why I did it and I am hoping that you will like it. **

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. We're just about through here. Have a great night everyone and be safe. **


	6. the memorial

_**the memorial **_

* * *

**a/n: Please listen to the song "Iridescent" by Linkin Park while you read. **

* * *

The young man took another deep breath as he started down the long hallway. It had been the first time that he had been back here since that afternoon.

"Wow," he murmured to himself as he took the first familiar route that he always took every single morning when he arrived for his first class.

* * *

"_Okay, you want to explain to me why we are doing this?" _

_Damon rolled his eyes before chuckling. "It's called art, Stefan." _

_Stefan eyed the buckets and brushes before looking back at his brother. "It's called a paint fight. Hence our girlfriends and Lexi." He threw his head back and gestured towards the girls that were exiting the sliding glass door of the kitchen, all three clad in old shorts and teeshirts. _

_Caroline's light blond hair was pulled up into a tight bun and she was constantly tucking stray tendrils behind her ears. Her tanned limbs were snug in a pair of dark blue cut-off jeans and a white teeshirt. Bonnie's thick hair was in a braid down her back and she was wearing white shorts and a red teeshirt whilst Lexi had her hair down (stupidly, Damon thought) and wore a pair of khaki shorts and a black teeshirt. All three were barefoot as well. _

"_Come on, Caroline! Don't look so nervous. You're going to have fun!" Damon called to her before dipping his brush into the first bucket of paint at his feet. _

_Caroline eyed the dripping brush warily, holding up her hands in defense. "Damon, that's not fair. It's supposed to go onto the canvas, not me." _

"_Come on, Blondie. You scared?" Damon waggled an eyebrow at her and she shot him the dirtiest look she could muster. _

"_Me? Scared?!" she snapped, her hands resting on her hips. "Yes!" _

_Damon let out the most wicked laugh he could before hurling the dripping blue paint brush onto her shirt front. _

"_You ass!" Caroline cried before jumping forward. "Stefan, I love you, but I am going to kill your brother. That okay?" _

_Stefan just shrugged. "Have fun!" _

"_Traitor!" Damon yelled before taking off like a shot, trying desperately to flee from the girl with the full paint bucket directed at his head. _

* * *

The studio looked the same. Exactly the same as it had looked ten years before. The easels still stood in the half circle, the pottery wheel was still pulled over to the corner, the line of buckets of paint was still by the far wall. Everything was exactly the same.

Damon slowly eased himself over to the easel on the far left. It was the one that he always occupied. It gave him a perfect view of Bonnie and everything that she would do while she was teaching or just sitting at the professor's desk.

Smiling sadly, Damon left one golden rose sitting on that stool, positioned so the light falling through the window caught it's magnificent colors, almost bringing out a beautiful glow.

He stood back, taking a deep breath as he slowly allowed himself to leave the room, letting all of it go for the first time in those ten years.

* * *

The classroom looked exactly the same. It was kind of eerie in Damon's opinion. Glancing up to the front, he realized that the same professor that had taught him and Stefan those years ago was still here.

"No wonder," he chuckled to himself.

* * *

"_Oh, lose that look, sourpuss." _

"_I just can't believe it." _

"_You believed it three months ago. Now buck up." _

"_But failing this class and then having to take it again with you!" Stefan let out a dramatic wail and threw his hand against his forehead in the fainting position. _

_Damon rolled his eyes. "You are such a drama queen." _

"_That's why he's taking a theatre class this semester." _

"_Caroline!" _

"_Theatre?!" Damon couldn't help the laughter that burst out of his throat. "Art is my domain, not yours." _

_The blonde took her seat behind Stefan, trying not to break out giggling herself. "We kind of played strip poker the night before registration and well...he kind of lost." _

_Damon continued to stare at his furiously reddening brother. "Oooh, I am so excited to come to your first play! It's going to be so cool! So what is it, _The Cat in The Hat? Hey Diddle, Diddle, The Cat in the Fiddle?"

"_Shut up, Damon. And Caroline..." A low growl ripped from Stefan's throat, only causing Caroline to laugh harder. _

"_Oh, there's Lexi! Lexi!" Caroline waved an arm at their other blonde friend who had just entered the room with her bag slung over her shoulder. _

"_Lexi?" Now it was Damon's turn to whine. "She's scary." _

_And it was Stefan's turn to smirk. "Hey, Lex! Over here!" _

_Lexi beamed at her friend before she noticed his irritating older brother. "Oh, dear. I had no idea that _he _was in the class," she said as she lowered herself into the chair behind Damon. _

_Damon shifted nervously in his seat. Lexi's grimace turned into a look of happiness, realizing that for once, Damon was totally at her mercy. _

"_This is going to be fun," she smirked. "Heeelllooo Damon." _

"_Switch places with me," Damon beseeched his brother. "Switch places with me." _

_Stefan shook his head. "You dug your own grave with that one, buster." _

"_Benedict Arnold." _

"_Jerk." _

"_Bitch." _

* * *

Damon let out a soft sigh before resting the gold rose on the desk where he had sat for over a year. He worked his way out of the classroom before heading down the hallway. He could see it up ahead. He could see that huge wooden door that was still polished and shined to a pristine.

Glancing down, he realized he had two roses left in his hand. One was slightly bigger than the other, it's petals longer and more gold around the edges. The other was a little smaller but just as beautiful as the first. In the back of his mind, Damon made a small note to try to sketch these two roses later.

He stepped towards the bathroom door, his hand pressed against the handle. His breath shuddered in his belly and he felt slightly sick.

Did he really want to do this?

He had to do this. He had to finally say goodbye and move on. It was all that mattered right now. He needed to do it for himself and for Caroline and even for Morgan and Aiden and Bonnie. If he couldn't really let go of what happened, he could never really focus on them. It was that grief and that anguish that would hold on forever.

His hand started to push on the handle of the door, his toes crossing the threshold.

And then his phone rang.

Damon released the breath he had been holding as he wriggled his cell out of his pocket, quickly answering it.

"Hello?"

"Damon? Damon, it's Bonnie. Damn it, I am so sorry for doing this to you-"

"Bonnie, what's the matter?" Damon asked, interrupting her slightly worried voice.

"Listen, the kids and I were coming back from a friend's baby shower and my car broke down. Somehow the radiator overheated and I have tried tinkering with it and even adding more water but it's not working. I am so sorry but-"

"Easy, Bonnie. Easy, it's okay. Where are you? I'll be there to pick you up."

As Bonnie relayed the road that they were stuck on, Damon stepped away from the door, the roses falling forgotten out of his hand and onto the floor.

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, Damon found Bonnie's SUV and his family. The kids were still safely tucked into the backseat while Bonnie was getting out of the front, waving an arm at him. He eased his own car over and off the road, away from traffic. It was starting to get dark and the road was getting a slightly eerie look to it.

"Hey!" He waved back. The lovely dark skinned woman glanced both ways before jogging across the road and into his arms.

"Damon, I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I am so stupid. I know how important that was to you and I-"

"Bonnie, shut up. You are more important. And besides...I think it did a lot of good," he whispered, his light blue eyes boring into her hazel ones.

Bonnie eased back onto the balls of her feet. "Are you sure? Absolutely sure? I mean-"

Damon nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm doing all right." He could tell that she didn't believe him. But right now, it was more important just getting her and those tired kids home.

They set to work transferring all the kids' stuff into the back of his car. Aiden's car seat, Morgan's book bag, another present from the boys to Damon that they had planned on surprising him with later, and Bonnie's things that she refused to leave on the side of the road for any looter to get a hold of.

"Seriously, Bonnie? Your tissue holder?" Damon barked as she ran across the road for the third time to retrieve items she had forgotten.

The brunette shot him a dirty look as she unlocked the car. "It's real silver, Damon! And my mother gave it to me! I am not leaving that behind!"

Damon rolled his eyes before he glanced into the backseat. Morgan had dozed off but Aiden was awake, buckled up tight in his car seat.

"I think Mommy's lost her mind," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Aiden giggled. "Yeah, Mommy's crazy."

"Quit trash talking me to our sons, Damon!" Bonnie called as she continued to root around in her car.

"Well, hurry up then and I won't!" He bellowed back.

It was at that moment a long black truck pulled up. The truck looked like it needed some serious body work done and it was missing a plate on the back. The driver was young. Looked maybe mid-twenties and had a really fearful look on his face.

"Everything all right here, folks?" the young man called.

Something was rotten in Denmark. Damon could feel it as he slowly unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Yeah, we're good. Wife's car broke down and I came to pick her up," Damon called back.

"Have you called Triple A?" the young man asked.

"Yep," Damon said. "They can't come until the morning." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Bonnie slowly creeping along the back of the truck, easing towards them.

The man took a deep breath. Sweat was coating his forehead and he was almost shaking.

"Can I do anything to help?" he asked, his hands fumbling with something in his lap.

"We're good. Thanks," Damon whispered loudly enough for him to hear. He nodded towards Bonnie and she was safely in the car within the minute.

"Can you get out of the car then?" asked the man. Damon saw him raise a up the object in his hands.

It was a gun.

And it was aimed right at the backseat where Morgan and Aiden were sleeping.

"Oh, my God."

Bonnie's voice was a terrified squeak. Damon ran his fingers over hers before obeying the robber's commands.

"Now, what do you think you're doing?" Damon asked as he slowly opened the car door. He knew if he tried to drive off like a shot, the kid still had a clean shot at that backseat.

"What does it look like?" The kid snapped. But his hand was still shaking. "I want you to throw all of your stuff onto the ground. Your wallet, your watch, your wedding ring. Your wife too. Everything of hers onto the ground."

"All right," Damon said easily, ignoring his pounding heart. He carefully pulled his wallet out of his pocket and tossed it to the ground. He undid the clasp on his watch and tossed it to the ground too beside the wallet. He leaned a hand back and Bonnie passed everything of hers to him. He let them fall to the ground.

"The rings too."

Damon stared at his wedding ring for a second before wrenching it off his finger and carefully letting it fall to the ground. Bonnie's rings made a safe landing into the pile.

The kid with the gun watched this procession for a moment before slowly easing out of his truck. His pistol was still trained right at that backseat.

"How old are you?" Damon asked him.

"Shut up."

"No, seriously. How old are you?" Damon asked him again. "Twenty? Twenty two? Can I ask you why you are doing this?"

"Seriously, you need to shut up."

"Damon, please..." Bonnie's voice was weak with fear.

"Kid, you don't need to do this," Damon murmured, taking one cautious step towards the kid. "You don't need to do this. Whatever situation you are in that is leading you to do this, I can help. Trust me, I can lend a hand. You do not have to do this."

"I have to do this," muttered the kid. Damon could see pain and anguish written all over his features. "I have too."

"Is someone forcing you? Are you being threatened?" Damon asked.

"No, it's not that-Just shut up! Back off or I swear to God-!"

"All right, all right. I'm sorry," Damon stepped back. He still had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't going to turn out right. Something was going to go horribly wrong. He needed to get that gun away from him. He just had to get this kid to put that gun down.

The kid lowered himself down, scooping up the wallets and the jewelry. He stuffed them deep into the pocket of his coat, his gun finally lowering slightly.

"Kid?"

The kid's head shot up. "Leave it."

"Give me the gun. All right? Just give me the gun. You don't have to do this," Damon murmured, finally stepping forward once again. He leaned out one hand, keeping the other down and behind him. "It's okay. You don't have to do this."

Tears were in the kid's eyes. His hands were still shaking, shaking even more violently than before.

"No, I need too. I need the money..."

"I have money," Damon said quickly. "You can take everything that you have got there. It's all yours. Just put down that gun."

"No..."

Damon was even closer to the kid, his hands reaching out to grasp his arms. "You don't have to do this. Everything will be okay."

"Damon, please!" Bonnie's voice was still choked with fear. But she sounded far away. Too far away.

The kid's hands were loosening on the gun. His fingers were slipping from the trigger...

And then...

And then...

The gunshot was like a cannon going off.

"_Damon!" _

* * *

_He was falling. Falling so far and so long. _

_And those arms were there to catch him. _

_Stefan's hands were pressed against his chest, trying avidly to staunch the flow of the blood. He visibly winced at a sound of another gunshot but didn't turn to the falling body of Nick. _

"_Damon, you moron!" Stefan cursed him. _

_Damon could barely see his brother. His face was so blurred and Damon wasn't sure if it was from the tears or if it was from the life slowly dwindling out of him. _

"_Stef-an..." His own voice was choked. He could barely get the words out of his throat. _

"_No, Damon. Don't try to talk, okay? You're going to be okay. Everything's going to okay," Stefan whispered, one arm looped around his back and keeping him elevated while the other still pawed at his bleeding chest. _

"_Stef..." _

"_Damon, no! Don't, okay? You're not going to die. You're not going to leave me here alone!" Stefan's voice was lost in a sob. _

"_You're not...going to be alone..." _

_It was almost time. _

"_Damon, please..." Something hot was falling onto his face. It was cleaning away the drops of blood that had sure sprayed on him. On the both of them. _

_He could see it. _

_It was so beautiful. _

_Such an amazing light. _

_He must remember to paint it later. _

"_Do you see it, Stef?" he found himself asking. "It's so...pretty." _

_Stefan sniffled before giving a shaky nod. "Yeah, brother. I do see it." _

_Damon found the strength to lift a hand and rest it on top of Stefan's. "You won't be...alone." _

_The light was almost blinding. It was pulling him in. _

"_Time to go home." _

* * *

How do you measure real love?

It can be the love of a mother to her child.

It can be the devotion of a dog to his master.

Pretty much, it's that true need to protect that person of your love, no matter what the cost. It's when you will do anything, absolutely anything for that person. Laying down your whole life, sacrificing yourself.

Real love is when all you want is to see that one person happy beyond measures.

That one person to live their whole life even if you can't live yours.

And even if you can't, it doesn't really matter. Because you lived out your purpose. Your real purpose.

And in that, you live on.

* * *

**There we go! Anyone catch the symbolism with the two roses?**

**Now, if anyone doesn't understand, the last three chapters and parts of chapter two were all in Damon's imagination. He saw what could happen if he had let Stefan die that day. He saw what he had always wanted, a life with Bonnie and beautiful children but his life wasn't complete. He was miserable because Stefan wasn't in that life and he was living with that guilt that he had let him die. **

**So in the end, it was Damon who had actually died. He had walked in front of Nick's gun, protecting his brother and then dying in Stefan's arms. He died knowing that he had made the right choice in allowing his brother to live because he knew exactly what life would have been like without him. **

**Now, I am not saying that Damon isn't important either. I'm sure if the tables were turned, the story would have happened all over again. Originally, I was going to have it be from Stefan's point of view and it being Damon that had died that day and Stefan surviving but I decided to give Damon's point of view a shot. And I have to say, I am very pleased with the outcome. **

**There will be one more chapter to sum all of this up. **

**Either you hate me or you love this. Whichever you decide, it's okay. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion but I do hope that you liked it. **

**Reviews are very appreciated! **


	7. and it will bring you happiness

_**and it will bring you happiness**_

* * *

**jess- **I am sorry that you didn't like my conclusion for the story. And no, actually, I didn't change my mind at the last minute. What happened was after writing the second chapter, I lost my inspiration for what I was working with and I decided to go another way. This is the way that I went. This is my first time writing suspense and I see that I succeeded and making everyone go crazy with wondering what happened to Stefan. It was only three chapters and even my own twisted mind couldn't handle it for so long. I do know exactly what you were hoping for but not all stories have a happy ending. I mean, jeez, look at the Season 7 finale of Supernatural! (Sorry) I do intend on writing my original idea for this story but that won't be up for a while. I am concentrating on my other stories now, including my Supernatural/Hunger Games crossover to which I do need to finish. :P And yes, I do love Steroline very much along with Bamon. I also ship Elejah too but Steroline is my OTP.

**victoria- **thank you! I am very pleased with my outcome and also your reaction. That's great that you think that I kept it suspenseful enough to keep you enthralled. I do appreciate those kind words of yours and I do hope that you like this epilogue. I do have to say though to you and to jess too that I did promise brotherly moments and I did give them to you. I just didn't say how I was going to bring them in.

**ALostHeart- **Thank you! You are so sweet! By the way, are you a fan of the Hunger Games and Supernatural?

**DvR- **Oh, thanks! Yeah, I know I am a dirty stinker. I created this story in my head due to the fact that on the show, we never see Damon really trying to help Stefan. In the beginning, yes. Season 1 had lots of brotherly moments but after that, it just seemed to be all about Elena, nobody really gave a damn about how Stefan was doing and how he was dealing. I just like to think that if it came down to a situation like this, either a stake or a bullet; Damon would protect his little brother. It just seems to me that it's always Stefan that's doing the protecting.

* * *

**a/n: Please listen to the song "Happiness" by Grant Lee Buffalo. **

* * *

"Stefan? Stefan, honey, wake up."

Her hands were so gentle on his forehead and cheek, carefully rousing him from his slumber. His eyelids started to flutter and he found himself rejoining the living.

"Hey..." he whispered, loving the fact that he woke up to her face every single morning. "Are you okay?"

Caroline nodded. "Of course I am okay," she smiled. "But it's time." Her hand shifted down to rest on her swollen belly. "It's time for us to be parents."

* * *

Within the hour, Stefan was holding a tiny baby girl in his arms. He slowly moved around the hospital room, looking out at the gently falling rain. It was a breathtaking sight.

"What do you think?"

Caroline's quiet voice startled him and he turned, still holding their daughter close to his chest. A smile crossed his face and he lowered himself down onto the side of the bed.

"I think it's perfect. Everything is perfect," he whispered.

"Good," Caroline beamed at him, her arms circled around their four year old son who was still conked out. Despite it being one of the most important nights of his life, Damon Alexander Salvatore was still unconscious; having hardly woken up even after his godmother Lexi went to fetch him.

Stefan chuckled quietly, glancing back down at the baby cuddled in his arms. He could see that she was starting to rouse from sleep and her tiny eyes opened.

"Hello there," he murmured quietly. "Hello."

"Stefan, I have to say, I am not really sure about the name," Caroline murmured.

"I know. Amanda just doesn't really fit," he answered.

"I've got it!" Caroline's voice made both father and daughter startled slightly. Baby Girl Salvatore shot her mother a dirty look before settling back down in Daddy's arms. "Damon, can you wake up? Sweetie?"

The raven haired child pressed his fists into his eyes before sitting up with his mother's help.

"What's going on?" he whispered. "Mommy, I'm tired."

"You remind me so much of your uncle," Caroline chuckled quietly. "You shouldn't be sleeping through this."

"Caroline, it _is _four o'clock in the morning," Stefan tried to defend their toddler but his wife was persistent.

"Damon, how would you like to name your baby sister?"

* * *

"_Your big brother named you, did you know that?" _

_Stefan glanced up at his mother. "Really?" _

_Antonia gave a small nod. "Yeah, he did." She took a deep breath. "He had just had his fourth birthday when you came along and he was a little jealous. He always liked being the only child and when he found out you were coming to our family, he had quite a few little hissy fits." _

"_Damon? A hissy fit? No!" Stefan widened his eyes dramatically and Antonia chuckled. _

"_Very funny, young man," she laughed. _

_Stefan smiled. "Damon named me? He honestly picked the name Stefan?" _

"_You are named after St. Stephan. Your father taught him about all of that stuff from the moment he could speak. When you were born and the first moment you were placed in his arms, he looked down at you and said 'Stef-an'."_

"_Wow…" Stefan sighed, leaning back on the couch. His green eyes were alight with a little bit more understanding and Antonia was pleased. She brought a hand back and gently brushed it through his unruly locks. _

"_Treasure your brother. Because he loves you so much," Antonia murmured. _

_Stefan took another deep breath before brushing a hand over his eyes. "Thanks, Mom." _

_Antonia shook her head. "No problem," she whispered. _

_Stefan got to his feet and placed a quick kiss on his mother's raven hair. "I'll see you later, okay?" _

"_Course." _

_Damon was just getting out of his car when Stefan exited the house, an evident search for him. _

"_Hey, little bro. How's Mom—oof!" _

_Damon was nearly knocked backwards by the hard hug that his brother quickly gave him. He stood stock still for a moment before he slowly began to return the hug. _

"_What's going on, little brother?" he asked quietly. _

_Stefan shook his head and then released him from the death grip. "Nothing, brother. Absolutely nothing." _

_And with that, the younger Salvatore pulled away and slipped away, not saying another word and leaving behind a very confused Damon. _

* * *

"Really?" asked the four year old, suddenly very awake and very alert.

Caroline chuckled and ran a hand through his raven locks. "Yes."

"Anything at all?"

"Hmm-hmm," whispered Stefan. "Anything at all, except 'poop-face'."

"Daddy! I would never do that!" protested Damon. He then focused his dark green eyes on his tiny sister. He gently touched the top of her head, running his tiny fingers over her sunny blond curls. And then he spoke, surprising both of his parents into silence.

"Emma."

"Emma?" Caroline repeated.

"What's wrong with 'Emma'?" asked Damon, looking confused and a little hurt.

"Sweetie, nothing is wrong with 'Emma'!" Caroline planted a gentle kiss to his dark hair. "I love it. Stefan? Are you okay?"

Stefan had suddenly frozen, his face contorted into an expression that Caroline couldn't quite read. He quickly snapped himself out of it, taking Caroline's hand in his and pressing his lips to her knuckles. He smiled warmly at Damon and let out a small sigh, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Emma…It's perfect."

Damon beamed. "Thanks, Daddy."

Stefan tried to swallow the tears that were rapidly forming but he couldn't. It was almost too much for him to handle, that one little name that his toddler had come up with. Almost too much.

* * *

"It's a girl, Lexi."

The blonde beamed and quickly wrapped her arms around him. "You're a daddy," she choked out, her own tears starting to rapidly form. "You're a daddy."

"Her name is Emma Alexandra," he whispered. "Of course, you'll be her godmother?"

Lexi sighed happily. "Do you even have to ask, cupcake?"

Stefan gave her a weak smile before his eyes traced the scars on her forehead. Even after all this time, they were still there. He thanked God every day that she was still in his life. That some force had sent her back because she had been gone for a short period of time. But she was here. She was here with all of them.

* * *

Ten years ago today, all of their lives had been changed forever.

It had taken quite a bit of time, but Stefan Salvatore knew now what he hadn't known before. He knew that life was now worth living, especially with these amazing blessings that he had been given. Life was worth living.

"You're an uncle again, Damon," Stefan found himself whispering into the chilly night air.

_Again? I swear, you and Caroline are like rabbits._

Very funny, smartass.

_I hope she looks like Caroline. If she looks like you-_

Oh, shut up.

_Just kidding, little brother. _

I miss you.

_You better. _

Well, I do.

_Dude, I'm right there. I'm always right there with you and with Blondie and Scary and those adorable little kids. You are so dense that you seem to forget that. _

Damon!

_Right, right, sorry. But it's the truth. Even though you can't see me, I'm right next to you. I'm always there. _

Stefan took a deep breath and then released it.

"I love you, Damon."

_Love you too. Now get back with your family and stop talking to a ghost. _

Cracking a small smile, Stefan rose to his feet. He glanced back out into the darkness and felt something break free from him. Something that he had held onto for years and now…

Now it was done.

A soft wind picked up, engulfing the younger Salvatore in such a warmth that it spread all the way down to his toes. And then he smiled.

_Happy birthday, Damon. _

* * *

"_I'm still trying to figure out if being your brother is a curse or a blessing." _

"_Hardy-har, smartass." _

"_Nah, I'm just kidding, bro." _

_Damon smirked and then looped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to his side. "Doesn't matter, Stefan." _

"_And why do you say that?" _

"_Because we'll always be brothers and I'll always be there to protect you." _

**fin**

* * *

**There it is. I hope you liked it. Still a little too sad for me but hey, I wrote it! Thank you so much for all the views and the wonderful reviews. You guys have no idea how much this means to me. **

**For anyone who is a Hunger Games fan, I am currently in the works of developing a story about the Hunger Games but its Vampire Diaries style. But don't worry, it's not going to be about this idiotic triangle, it's actually going to feature Caroline as Katniss and Damon as Peeta. Hope you like!**


End file.
